Mary Realizes Who to Love
by Swa-Sa Masou
Summary: Alternate end of season 2 for Francis, Mary, and Condé. If you like Condé, this story is not for you. Rated for slight sexual situations.
1. A Refusal

_A/N: 1. I don't own Reign. 2. I don't care about Condé, like, at all. I imagine he's going to return to make life hard for Mary at some point and that's why he's not dead yet. 3. I binge-watched all the episodes with MaryxCondé last night going, "why aren't you dead yet? Why hasn't Francis, Catherine, Narcisse, or necessary plot development killed you yet?" each time Condé was on screen. So due to my lack of attention and the blur of all of those episodes, my timeline may be slightly messed up. Sorry! Rant over, slight OOC for Mary._

His mouth felt hot as they pressed along her collar-bone. His hands felt as though they were everywhere at once. In the brief moment that their eyes met before their lips met again, she felt heat pool low in her belly.

This was the fourth morning of their not-so-clandestine meetings and Louis felt insistent this day. Mary had kept refusing to go where she knew Louis wanted to go. Their meetings had been enjoyable, but something was holding her back.

A nagging voice in her head piped up to remind her that she's a married woman. She'd made a vow to Francis. She was a queen of two nations, both of which needed her. But this was Louis. She loved Louis. He loved her. This should be so simple.

Like it had been with Francis. They had been unable to keep themselves away, using the tunnels and passageways to sneak into bedchambers before they were married. Why was she thinking about Francis at a time like this?

"Mary. Mary." Louis had been saying her name several times now, but while the first few were more moans than words, the last two were clearly meant to get her attention. Louis ran a hand from the crook of her knee up her leg to upper thigh and back down again. "Mary, your head is somewhere else. Talk to me."

Louis, ever the gentleman, wasn't going to force her into anything. As much as he clearly wanted to progress, he knew what she had been through and he certainly had experience with goading a wife from her husband's bed and knew how slow the process could be. However, Mary couldn't tell him that she had been thinking of Francis.

Specifically, how Francis had made her feel so safe on the night of their consummation. All of those people watching, yet he made her focus on him and him alone. Everyone else disappeared. Henry, her ladies, even Bash's presence hadn't dulled he senses when Francis had kissed her that night. She and Louis were alone, with the protection of the king for their affair, yet she didn't feel safe in it.

And then there was the night with the candles. So much of their marriage had been fraught with strife, disagreements, and misunderstandings. But so many days and nights spent in laughter, in discussion about how to do the greatest good for the greatest number of people, in enjoying each other's bodies, on horseback just taking comfort in each other's presence. The two worked together very well and everyone knew it. It scared Catherine and Nobles like Narcisse. It seemed to be an inspiration to many of the common people.

What could Louis offer her, truly? What could she offer him? "Mary!" She physically jumped at the intensity of Louis' voice as he disturbed her from her thoughts.

"I'm terribly sorry, Louis. There's so much going on, I just- I can't focus." She gave him a sad smile. Really, she needed to get out of here.

His response was to lean closer and begin to nuzzle her neck. "And here I thought I was so good at distracting women." He let out a low chuckle, "I guess you'll just take extra effort." As he continued his work at her neck, his hand began a slow to slide upward that she was sure was meant to be teasing and tantalizing. It should have thrilled her. It should have sent tingles up her spine.

It made her skin crawl. Suddenly, all she could think of was getting away. It wasn't the all-consuming fear she'd once felt at the touch of a man. It was definitely revulsion at _this_ man in particular touching her in this way. She stalled his hand and shifted her body so that her neck was out of his reach without more severe bodily contortions.

Louis sighed and sat up. "Mary, what's wrong? Is this because of what I told you about Elizabeth?" He eyes sought hers. The desire was fading in favor of concern.

"Elizabeth?" Mary ran a hand through her mussed hair, trying to slog through her thoughts, moving from her need to get out of this room and desperately trying to remember what he had told her of Elizabeth, her cousin.

Louis shifted to cup her cheek, "Mary, I promised you that I would reject her offer. I will not marry the woman who wants to kill the woman I love, even if it would get me my own crown." He leaned in to kiss her lightly. "And anyway, I would be King Consort there, whilst here, I am the consort of the Queen with protection from the King. Pragmatically speaking, there is very little difference between the two positions."

Ignoring Louis' attempt at humor, Mary got up and began piecing her clothing back together. "It's not just Elizabeth, Louis, I promise you. There are many troubles with my realm, both of my realms, actually. They just make it difficult to focus on anything else."

Louis joined her in putting his clothing back on, "Is this about Scotland? We can leave tonight if you wish. We can sail under false names and dressed as commoners until we find a safe port. We can make our way to your mother or to James once there. We can do this, Mary."

Looking at Louis, at the eagerness in his face, she realized she couldn't do this to him. She felt everything that she was supposed to feel for him- love, tenderness, gratitude, trust. But she couldn't get Francis out of her head, which wasn't fair to either of them. She needed to tell him it was over.

He made his way toward her and rested his hand at the small of her back. "Louis- " She cut herself off. If she told him it was over, how would he react? He had risked everything for her. If they had been found, he surely would have been killed. She had offered him her heart, and he had offered his in return. Would this betrayal send him straight to the arms of Elizabeth, her enemy and rival? Could she take that chance? "I'm sorry." It was all she could say that fit what she was feeling. She was sorry for what she knew she had to do. Mary could only hope that he interpreted her apology as being for the disappointing morning. She could feel the tears building in her eyes.

Wrapping his arms around her, Louis did, indeed, seem to think she was apologizing for not being able to go any further in their relationship with him. "It's okay. We have plenty of time to keep trying. You'll get there." He kissed her on the forehead. "You had better exit first and I'll follow in a few moments."

Mary nodded, locked her eyes with his one last time and shuffled out of the chapel.

Turning the corner, her strides increased. She had to find Francis.


	2. A Frank Discussion

_A/N: Condé still sucks. I don't own Reign_

 _Enjoy!_

At this time of morning, Francis would either be in his chambers yet or in his meeting rooms. Hoping that she could catch him alone, she headed first to his quarters, but was informed by the guards there that he was in a meeting already. She had wasted valuable time. What if Louis grew suspicious of her rapid departure and left the castle? She needed to convince Francis to put guards inside Louis' rooms, inside and outside of the castle- she knew from experience just how easy it was to sneak out of those windows- and to order all messages to be intercepted.

She came to the meeting chambers just as some of the Nobles were filing out. Good. She needed Francis alone for this. She smiled at each man as he exited, some returned her greeting while others ignored her. She knew her standing with many of them had fallen as her and Francis' estrangement had become more and more well-known.

As the last man left, Mary slipped in. "Francis, may I speak with you alone please." At hearing her voice, Francis' head had snapped up. Since he had "released" her, they hadn't seen much of each other. Seeming to catch himself, he buried his enthusiasm and looked back down at the papers on his desk.

"We are alone. All of the gentlemen from my meeting have left." He would not look up to meet her eyes.

"I mean alone, alone, Francis. I need a private conversation with you." Mary folded her hands as she stood in front of his desk. She took in his appearance. He looked tired. His golden hair seemed dimmed somehow and the lack of eye contact was driving her mad.

Francis sighed and put down his quill. "Leave us." He spoke quickly to the guards and they departed. "Now, what is it?

Mary stepped forward so that she was leaning over the desk, looking down at him. Where should she begin? If she started with asking him to place guards, he would ask why and she would have to explain the situation with Elizabeth. But if she started the conversation there, there was a strong chance that he wouldn't believe her when she later told him that she wanted to call things off with Louis in favor of Francis. He might think she was just coming back to him because of Louis' perceived betrayal instead of following her heart. She needed to be a queen before a wife.

"I need you to place guards outside Louis' chambers. Inside the castle and outside. When I helped him avoid the guards of the Vatican, we were able to sneak out of a window, they need to know that. And any messages he sends need to be intercepted." She had watched Francis' face through her command. It had changed from confusion to amusement. As this was not an amusing matter, this confused Mary.

Francis stood up slowly and walked to the window, clasping his hands behind his back. After a moment of silence, he turned to look at Mary again. "You want me to use my guards to keep tabs on your lover? Are you afraid that he's lost interest in you already?" His jape was meant to be cruel and she knew she deserved that. There would be time to deal with their feelings and how she had hurt him later. Containing the threat needed to be her priority.

Mary straightened up to her full height and squared her shoulders. "Francis, time is critical here. The explanation and following conversation will be lengthy. Please do as I ask and then I will explain everything." There was a certain tone that Mary rarely used. It was her more regal one that she used when addressing her people, nor was it the friendly, familiar one usually reserved for those close to her, and neither was it one of anger, just necessity. Francis strode to the door and spoke quickly to the guard standing outside.

Turning back to her and shutting the door securely behind him, his gaze bore into hers. "Okay, it's done. Tell me what this is about."

Mary sat down heavily in the nearest chair. "First, Francis, thank you for believing in me enough to take my word for it. Louis was contacted by an agent of Elizabeth's." Francis' face morphed into panic that he quickly concealed. Mary continued, "She has invited him to court her and for him to become the King Consort of England. He has promised me that he will turn her down."

Francis began to pace, "Mary, of course he told you that. You just learned of this today?" he demanded of her.

Mary gripped the armrest tightly, she knew that he would be angry at her for waiting to tell him, but once again, she deserved it. "No, I learned of it two mornings ago. I know I should have told you as soon as I heard it, but I didn't see the urgency as long as he was going to turn her down."

Francis stared at her as she stared at the floor. "I don't share you perfect trust of your boyfriend, Mary."

At that, Mary leapt up from her seat, anger filling her words, "I just asked you to have him put under watch and to not allow any of his messages to be delivered. Clearly I share at least some of your distrust!" With a huff, she turned around. When disagreeing over courses of action, they had often become heated with each other. This could be them arguing over any matter. It felt surprisingly good to have fire and passion in an argument with her husband again. They had been disappointed in each other for far too long and most of their discussions were full of apology or regret. Still, she needed to remain calm in this instance.

Francis looked concerned as she turned back around. "And why is that? What's changed?" Francis reached out and gently took her hand, "If he's hurt you- "

Mary cut him off, not wanting to know what exactly her husband was going to say he deserved, "No. No, he hasn't hurt me." She withdrew her hand and returned to her seat. "At this moment, I believe I can still trust him. I don't believe he's contacted Elizabeth or her agent and right now, I firmly believe that he thinks he's going to refuse her." Mary looked up to make sure she would have Francis' full attention as she said her next statement. "Unless he's grown suspicious and has deduced that I plan to end things with him. I decided this morning while I was with him. However, given the offer that he has on the table, I knew I needed to come speak with you about how to contain my mess before I do so."

Francis had frozen at her words. His features told Mary that he was more confused than ever. Finally, he stammered out, "Mary, are you sure? I don't understand, I just offered my acceptance of it. What do you mean?"

As much as she wanted to get into their relationship and what their future might hold, Louis and Elizabeth could be a threat to their lives, not just their marriage. "Francis, I want to discuss out future at length with you, I do, but right now I think we have a more pressing matter to attend to. Suffice it to say that I am sure and that once I tell him, I have no idea how he'll react other than being hurt."

Francis took the seat across from her and leaned his head against one hand, propped on an armrest. "So, what do you propose we do?"

"I don't know, Francis. If I knew what to do, I would have started with that." At least she knew that, beyond everything she had put him through, Francis was still on her side. His first reaction had been for her, not for France/Scotland vs. England fears.

Looking away, Francis bit out, "I suppose you'd still be against killing him. That would be my preferred method for dealing with him."

Mary's dark look made Francis backpedal before she even had a chance to say anything. "Of course you're still against that. Well, I suppose I can bring him in for questioning. Conspiracy against the crown. I wouldn't even have to implicate you. I could say that I've been having him followed. He's been sleeping with my wife, he should be expecting that I would have been having him followed. Once he's confessed, we can hold him. We could use him as a bargaining chip, either with Elizabeth or with Antione."

Mary wanted to interrupt to let Francis know that they had not, in fact, slept together. There would be time for that later. "I would like to be present when you question him. He'll suspect me of telling you anyway once I tell him that I must stop seeing him. I still care for him and I'm not sure you're level-headed enough about this issue to stay calm while questioning him."

Francis thought for a moment before speaking, "Very well, when would you like to do it?"

Concealing a sigh, Mary knew she had to tell him about Scotland before Louis was in the room. "Francis, there's one more thing you should know. Louis will definitely use it against me and you once he's in this room, to drive you away from me." It was Mary's turn to get up and look out the window, contemplating the best way to reveal this. Speaking to the window, she began, "When my mother was here last, she told me that she's dying. There is chaos in Scotland and there will be even more for James to deal with after her death. That is why she wanted us to have an heir so badly. I feel like I need to go there. I need to be the queen that my people need. Louis was helping me to come up with a way to get there and" Mary stopped for a moment and turned toward Francis, trying to hold the tears back. She knew this was going to hurt him, "he was going to come with me."

Francis looked as though Mary had literally walked across the room and kneed him in the gut. "You were going to leave me? You were going to run away with Condé? You were going to turn your back on our alliance, our treaty, our marriage, on France? You were going to throw away everything to be with him?!" His voice had risen and so had his anger as he spoke. He was shouting by the time he got to the end.

Mary walked across the room so that she and her husband were face to face. She was angry at his anger, but she knew it was justified. She could tell how this had hit him directly in the heart and her tears were flowing for his pain. "There was the outline of a plan. I am clearly not going through with it. And it was to get to Scotland! To help my people! The goal of none of this was to hurt you, our alliance, or France. Nor was my primary goal to be able to be with Louis, though that was likely his focus." She took his hands in her own. "Even if he wasn't being courted by Elizabeth, I wouldn't have been able to go through with it. Politically, I shouldn't, for the reasons you just said. But me, as a person, I couldn't have done it. I could not have left you. No matter where we are now, it has always been you. I have always loved you."

Francis released one of her hands to wipe away some of her tears. He didn't look sympathetic, however. "Mary, I want to believe that, but how can I? Your lover has allied, or potentially allied with your greatest enemy who wants you dead." He sighed deeply, his whole body seemed to deflate with it. He kissed Mary's forehead, too similar to what Louis had done earlier for Mary's comfort at this moment. "As you said, we have more important matters to deal with. Go tell him whatever it is that you have to tell him and then bring him here. I'll send an escort with you to make sure that you both make it back to this room." Francis sat down behind his desk again, "Mary, be careful. I know he'll be angry. I know what it feels like to lose you."

Mary nodded and walked out of the room.


	3. A Questioning

_A/N: Who's ready for Francis interrogate Condé? I don't own Reign. Reviews are love! There will be one more chapter after this. I'm not going to get into Francis' illness as I think that with the way I have it written, that doesn't need to crop up just yet. I also wanted to get this written before starting season 3._

Condé noticed the extra security around his room. He chuckled to himself. It had taken Francis this long to start spying on him? The man was a fool for thinking that Mary would come running back to him just because he had "let her go." Mary belonged with him, Louis. If he had the fortune to be married to her, he would take her advice to heart. He wouldn't have betrayed her the way Francis had, continually. He wouldn't have let anything happen to her as he wouldn't be leaving her alone all night long. He had to figure out how to craft his letter to Elizabeth's envoy so that he and Mary would be free to continue living their lives together without the ruling Monarchs of France or England to get in the way.

A knock on his door brought him out of his thoughts about how to dismiss arguably the most dangerous person he had ever been in contact with. Grasping the handle, he was greeted with Mary's visage. As much as that sight would normally be a welcome one, she looked as though she had been crying. He stood aside for her to come through the door. "What's wrong, what's disturbed you so, Mary?" He attempted to pull her toward him, but she put a hand on his chest.

"Louis, please, don't."

Looking to make sure that the door was closed and that no one had come in with her, he didn't understand why she wasn't allowing his touch. "Mary, your husband's guards are all in the hall, and outside my windows, if I'm not mistaken, we're safe in here." He attempted to kiss her, but was rebuked as well.

Mary was holding back tears as she looked at him. "Louis, we need to talk."

"Mary, no." He cupped her face in his hands. "Mary, don't do this. Don't pull away from me now." Mary clutched his wrists and gently moved out of his grasp. "It's him, he did get to you." Louis backed away from Mary.

Mary's tears were flowing freely now, "Louis, I'm sorry. I said that I could give you my heart, but I can't! Each time that we're together, all I can think about is Francis. All of our arguments and mistakes that led us to where we are now, all of our happiness that we've shared, how much I know he loves me. I can't be with you when I am constantly thinking of another man. Especially when that other man is the man I've vowed to spend my life with. I'm so sorry. I do love you. I do, Louis."

"No, Mary, I don't want to hear it. Not now." Louis was livid. All of her promises meant nothing! All of their plans were going to come to nothing and there was a very real chance that he would die from these choices. He walked toward a desk and upended it, spilling the contents everywhere on the floor and eliciting a large crash that reverberated throughout the chamber.

At the commotion, a guard burst through the door. "Your Grace, are you unharmed?"

Mary looked from Louis, to the mess on the floor, to the guard. "Yes, yes, I'm fine. Thank you."

The guard did not retreat from the room immediately, "Are we ready to leave, your majesty?"

It was Louis' turn to look from the guard to Mary, "Yes, she's done here." His anger was still flaring and no more good was going to come of this conversation tonight.

Mary stepped forward, around his mess and toward the guard, "He means you too, Louis. There's more." She took a deep breath. "Francis wants to question you, for conspiracy against the crown." At her words, she stepped back and three more guards entered the room to escort Louis out of his chambers.

* * *

Francis looked up as Mary entered his workspace, followed closely by a small contingent of guards, with Condé in their midst. He rose from his seat and guided Mary to a corner of the room. "Are you all right?"

It was clear that this was going to be a difficult situation for her to be in. "It went as well as can be expected. And he's here. I told him very little, only that you wanted to question him for conspiracy against the crown."

Francis leaned over her more and lowered his voice, "And that you two are done? You told him that as well?"

Mary's gaze hardened on him, "Yes, Francis, I told him that as well."

"Good." Francis put a hand into the hair at the nape of her neck and the other around her waist as he kissed her swiftly, but deeply. When he pulled back, Condé was visibly seething.

Mary was breathing heavily and looking at Condé when she addressed, Francis, "I am not a trophy to be shown off." Locking eyes with Francis, she continued, "That was unnecessary and cruel." She walked across the room from him and sat on the small ledge of the window.

Francis turned his attention to Condé. If the guards were confused by his beginning an interrogation with a display of such affection for his estranged wife, they didn't show it. "You're all dismissed. I'll be questioning him alone."

Condé took a seat. "Just put a leash on her, if you're going to claim ownership of her like that!" Mary's face flushed a deep crimson at his accusation, but she kept silent.

Francis did not. "Leave her out of this." Francis sat down and pulled a sheaf of paper towards him.

"If what you just did, that kiss, is keeping her out of it, then I'll gladly leave her out of it." Condé made to stand as if he too was going to go kiss Mary.

Francis jumped back to his feet, "Sit down!" it came out as more of a snarl.

Condé let out a laugh, "I knew you couldn't be as fine with her and I together as you told her. Do you see, Mary? He's the same man he was last week, it was all an act. I don't know what he said to make you want to go back to him, but you can be sure that was all-"

Mary had gotten up from her perch, "Oh shut up, both of you!" She looked from Francis to Condé, "Louis, you're here to be questioned and likely charged for conspiracy against the crown as evidenced by your admission to me that Elizabeth has invited you to court her and that you've been in ongoing contact with an English emissary. Get on with it, the both of you." Mary returned to the window, determined to that she would leave if they continued to hurl insults at each other instead of taking care of what needed to be done.

Francis looked properly chastised. "Louis, Prince of Condé, you have now heart the accusation, what do you have to say for yourself?

Condé was still looking back and forth between Mary, determinedly not looking anywhere but out the window, and Francis, who was staring him down. "I have been contacted by an Englishman who claims that Elizabeth wants me to court her, eventually leading to a marriage. However, I wasn't aware that being approached by someone else was a crime when I haven't accepted it!"

Francis picked up his quill again, if only to have something to fiddle with. "The crime comes not in the invitation, but in your failure to bring it to my attention as soon as it occurred. Your crime is in failing to let me know that my enemy is in contact with you and has a spy here, possibly very close to court if he is able to make contact with you. What if this spy's job was not only to persuade you to meet Elizabeth, but also to kill Mary?"

It looked as though that thought had not occurred to him. "I would never have allowed him to hurt Mary."

Francis leaned over his desk. "Regardless, your failure to bring this to my attention does indeed make it a conspiracy against the crown. I would be well within reason to have you executed. But due to my wife's… fondness for you, that will not be the case. You will be escorted to the dungeon to await what kind of a deal we can get for your extradition back to your brother. To begin with, you both will relinquish your link to the succession and you will give me your full support amongst your Protestant followers."

Condé stood, so did Francis, "And you think Antione is just going to take that?"

Francis moved around his desk so the two were nose to nose. "He'll have to. It's either that or you'll be stuck in my dungeons until your last day." Francis strode around him and opened the door. "Guards, escort our prince here to the dungeons."

The guards began to enter the chamber. Suddenly Condé shouted, "But what about Scotland? Did she tell you of that?"

Francis motioned to the guards to wait outside for another moment. He met Condé face to face again. "She and I were going to run away together. We were going to go to Scotland and live out our days as the rulers there after fighting our way to her throne. She was going to leave you."

A smile was clearly not what Condé was expecting from Francis at this confession. "If you think my wife and I keep these things a secret from each other, you are sorely mistaken. Notice where she is, who she is staying with. Judging by the look on her face, she is not happy with me. We've had our issues, which you jumped in and capitalized on, but she is far from leaving me." He opened the door, "Enjoy your stay here."

The door closed behind a furious Condé and six guards escorting him to his new cell.

Mary came up behind Francis, still breathing heavily from his verbal skirmish. "You two acted like children fighting over a toy. I am not an object for you to fight over. I am going to his cell to talk to him."

Francis grabbed her arm to stop her, "Mary."

She spun around, enraged, "What? Francis, what? Do you think that I'm going to go down there and free him? That I'm going to go set him free and run away with him? I'll be fine and I'll keep my head about me."

He took two slow steps forward and gently took Mary's hand. "All I wanted to say was that I'm sorry." He bowed his head and placed a light kiss on the back of her hand before releasing it.

* * *

Upon entering the dungeon, a guard greeted her. She was shocked to see that it was Leith.

"Francis said that it was likely you would want to see the new prisoner when he was brought in. He said you might want someone that you both knew you could trust to come down with you. He warned me that some sensitive information may be shared."

Mary smiled. "Thank you, Leith. Then I can trust that not a single person will hear of the conversation that is about to happen? Not even Francis? By order of your queen."

Leith bowed his head, gave a short, "yes, your Majesty" and unlocked the door in front of them.

Mary saw Louis in the dim light in front of her. He was chained to a wall, but with a few feet of mobility, likely only afforded to prisoners who would be in that state for some time. He was seated with his head in his hands, but lifted it upon her approach.

"Mary, whatever you're here to tell me, I don't want to hear it. You've made your choice. Go to him and leave me be." He hung his head again.

"Louis. Louis, please look at me. I know in that room Francis made it sound like we've been conspiring against you from the start. I swear, I thought you and I were something." He lifted his head to meet her eyes and scoffed at her vague title of their relationship. "Everything that Francis was speaking to you about, he only just learned today. Just before I came to see you. I realized this morning that I needed to end things with you and I went to talk to Francis about it, just before I came to talk to you."

Louis shot up from his seated position, "I LOVED YOU!" He screamed at her. "I wanted to be everything that you wanted! I wanted to give you everything you had ever desired! I would have been better to you than you'll ever know with him." Despite being chained to the wall, he was still within easy reach of Mary and he lunged forward and wrapped his hands about her throat. She felt his lips press against hers as his hands tightened around her windpipe, until suddenly, he was still.

Mary fell back. Clutching at her throat, gasping for air. She looked up to see Leith withdraw his dagger from the back of Louis' neck and then look toward her. "He attacked you, your majesty. I'm sorry. I just reacted." Mary began to sob and Leith came around the body to help her to her feet. She cried harder into his shoulder. "Come now, let's go. Let's get you back to your chambers.

Mary allowed herself to be led away from the dungeon and away from the body of a man she had loved.


	4. A Reunion

_A/N: Last update. I still don't own Reign. Side note: It really interrupts the flow of typing when a character has an accent mark on their name and you have to keep stopping to reach alt +130 to get that character._

Leith had brought Mary to the chambers she used to share with Francis and then went to find the king. As the two walked swiftly up the corridor to get to Mary, he questioned Leith about what had happened. "How did this happen, exactly?"

Leith seemed concerned for his own safety and for his position within the castle. He had killed a foreign diplomat, even though said diplomat was in a dungeon. "He lunged at the Queen, your Grace. He started to choke her and kiss her at the same time. I pulled out my dagger and stabbed him through the back of the neck. It seemed to be the best place to not risk hitting the queen but to also get him to stop immediately. I escorted the queen to your chambers and left to find you."

Leith finished his story as they neared the doors. "You needn't be so concerned. The only reason for me to be upset by you killing that man is that I didn't get to do it myself. You did the right thing, Leith." Francis pulled open his doors to see Mary staring into the fire.

"Mary?" Francis cautiously entered the room and shut the door. He recalled all too clearly what happened last time that someone left marks on her neck. Would she pull away again? He could see bruises forming around her perfect neck.

He gingerly sat down next to her, she still had not stirred. "Mary?" He reached out to grab her hand and felt it ice-cold, despite her proximity to the fire. He got up to go to the bed and fetched the nearest blanket to wrap around her shoulders. Leith did the right thing concerning Condé, but he hadn't checked for symptoms of shock before leaving her alone.

Draping the blanket, careful not to touch her directly, Francis sat back down. "Mary, can I touch you?"

Mary finally spoke, "Francis, this isn't like last time. This was someone I trusted, who you constantly warned me against trusting." She still had not taken her eyes from the fire, but she reached up to massage her own throat. "This was more of an attack than anything sexual. He was angry, just as you warned me, again. I didn't think he would hurt me. It shows how little I actually knew him."

She pulled her gaze from the fire and locked on him. "I would relish your comfort, if you're willing to give it to me, Francis."

That was all he needed to hear. It had been so long since she had turned to him for much of anything, much less his physical presence to soothe her. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and drew her to him. She nestled into the crook of his neck. He began to stroke her hair, noting the bits of straw that still clung to it from where she must have fallen.

As much as he didn't want to say anything nice about the man, Mary didn't need to be beating herself up right now. "You may have known him well, Mary. I can speak from experience that losing you to another man is quite painful. I lashed out at you when you chose Bash, if you remember."

Mary laughed darkly, "Francis, you yelled at me. You never laid a hand on me. Another reason why it's always been you and it always will be you that my heart belongs to. I'm so sorry, for all of this mess, Francis. Truly I am."

"Mary, I've got you and we're alone. You loved him, I wouldn't blame you if you had tears to shed over him."

Mary pulled herself closer to his larger, warmer, comforting body. "I have no tears left to cry."

He gently kissed the top of her head. They sat in silence for some time before Francis interrupted it. "You've had quite the trying day and it's not yet noon. Shall I call for some soup to be brought in and you can lie down to rest?"

Mary sat up and shrugged off the blanket. She ran a hand through her hair. "I'm not made of porcelain. There is no need. That was one thing I did learn from my time with Louis. At this point last year, I was plotting with you against your mother, I was planning with my Ladies about how to achieve the goals I had set for myself and also to help them with their matches. We were both working to gain our full power back from France's nobles and we were ruling the nation in a much more just manner. We also focused on Scotland and France. Recently, I've become bitter, I've been scared of Elizabeth, I'm meek, I let you take the lead on everything and Scotland has fallen by the wayside of this rule. No more. I am not going to stand by. This likely means more fighting for us across plans, maps, laws, and edicts, but it also means us working together again. I am the Queen of Scotland by birth and I'm going to remember that and act like it."

She reached out and push a handful of hair off of his forehead. "I am not as fragile as I have been. If you want to have this discussion, I am ready."

Still wishing for more of her touch, Francis was taken aback. "What discussion?"

Mary threw her shoulders back and, following a deep breath, "The one where you ask me why I came to you in the first place this morning. The one where you ask why I changed my mind about Louis so quickly."

Francis leaned into the back of the sofa. "Ahh, that discussion. Should I ask, or should I just accept my good fortune that my wife has come back to me and leave it at that?"

Mary smiled. "I was so scared after the attack on the castle, and then to learn of your connection, I wasn't sure how to trust you. Louis was here. He was kind and he always seemed to be on my side, especially when you weren't. And with everything he sacrificed, I felt like we owed him. He wrote me a letter declaring his feelings for me. He was so easy to latch onto. The angrier I got at you, the more appealing he seemed. How he and I came to be, I understand perfectly and I don't think it's difficult for you to understand either. The more complicated part is how I lost the desire to be with him so quickly."

"You and I are complicated. We always will be. There is no other way for us as we are the rulers of two separate sovereign nations. He was simple. He wanted happiness for me and he wanted to be with me. But, because of my position, I knew it could never happen. It was safe to grow attached to him because nothing could ever come from it. I drew away from you and to what I saw as the safer option. Then you sanctioned my affair and suddenly it was real. I had to actually make the decision about it. I realized that the fantasy of what it could be was so much better than the reality. I was transferring the reality of the courtship you and I had onto him and what I thought he could be for me." Reaching across the space between them. "The reality I want is with you, Francis."

Clasping his hand with hers, Francis wanted nothing more than to accept every word she said, but he had to be a king and not just a husband. "Mary, we can never get back to the trust and innocence that we once had. Far too much has happened. We can't even go through the process of making an heir together. If we're to go forward from here, we'll have to work hard at it. It won't be easy to get us back to a place where we can feel like we have a functional marriage."

He dropped her hand and stared at the flames as they licked the sides of the logs in the grate. "Mary, I don't know how long it's going to take for me to get past this. When I think of you two physically, it makes me sick. But I picture your naked body wrapped around his and the pain makes me feel ill. I know that I too took a lover to my bed, but you actually were encouraging a mistress, I allowed it to make you happy."

"So, you did take a mistress? How was I never informed of this?" Mary realized that anger had seeped into her tone and quickly squelched it down. She had no right after all but pushing him toward that girl on the night of his wine-tasting.

Francis steepled his fingertips and rested his forehead against them. "I didn't take a mistress so much as I shared my bed with one woman, one time, on the night of my tasting. Even she said that I seemed to have been with someone else in my mind during that time."

Mary stood and sat on an adjacent chair to put some space between the two of them. "I have no right to be mad. You tried to leave that event and I pushed you toward her. Yet, still, I am mad. Especially as Louis and I never made it that far."

Francis' head snapped up, eyes boring into hers, "What? The two of you never…?"

"No," Mary struggled to keep eye contact with her husband, "he was pushing me for it this morning. That was when I knew for certain that I couldn't do that to you. You, Francis, remain the only man I have been with of my own free will." Francis stood and knelt in front of his wife.

"Can you forgive a husband for allowing his jealousy to blind him?" He grasped both of her hands, as he had when he proposed to her so many months ago.

Mary squeezed his hands back, "Can you forgive a wife for being jealous of an affair she pushed you toward? Can you forgive a wife for pushing you legitimize her affair and making a mess of our marriage?"

Francis pulled them both to their feet and leaned down to kiss her. "We've both done quite a job of making a mess of our marriage. It was not just you. Nor was it just me. It's in the past and all we can do is learn from it."

He leaned in for another kiss, gentle and slow.

Mary was done with gentle and slow from her husband.

She tangled her hands in his locks and deepened the kiss. It had a desperate air to it that she had neither shared with Louis, nor Francis in quite some time. More importantly, this was going to be her choice. Not her mother's, not Catherine's, and, although she certainly hoped he wouldn't object, it wasn't Francis' idea either. She began to maneuver them around the furniture between them and their bed. The bed they shared as husband and wife. The bed she had been avoiding for months.

That was all changing tonight.

Francis broke their kiss, breathing heavily, "Mary, what?" she pulled his lips back to hers.

"Francis, please!" She continued to back up, no longer caring much if she backed into anything.

He broke the kiss again, "Mary, are you sure? I want you to be absolutely certain. I don't want you to regret this."

"Francis, I'm am positive. I want you, my husband, to take me to bed. Now." She squealed slightly as Francis knocked her feet out from under her as he gathered her into his arms and resumed the kiss as he carried her to their bed.

While their last attempt to be together had been forced, awkward, and stuff, this time, they were both consumed by passion. Whereas last time, Francis had actually added a robe to her, they disrobed each other with the efficiency of a couple who had shared a bed, literally and euphemistically, dozens of times. When her gown fell to the floor and Francis was able to look at his wife for the first time in weeks, he couldn't seem to take his eyes off of her. Her beauty was breathtakingly radiant.

They tumbled back onto the pillows together. Francis trailed kisses on every part of her torso he could reach as Mary reached down to feel his arousal growing. There would be time for sweet love-making later. They both wanted this, physically desired each other. They let out twin moans as he slid into her, locking their lips together again. Francis could feel Mary finish and moved faster to join her.

As he slid out and off of his wife, she rolled with him, listening to his heartbeat, his breath.

"A week ago, and the sound of your breath would have sent fear through me. Now, I'm clinging to this sound like it's a lifeline. I love you Francis."

Francis wrapped her in his arms, "I love you, too, Mary"

The couple fell asleep in each other's arms for the first of many nights to come.


End file.
